The significant artwork, situated on the side of Ilkeston Town Hall, pays tribute to Donald Rose, who passed away last year at the age of 110, having been Britain's oldest man.
Donald Rose, a veteran of the D-Day landings, survived a leg injury before fighting his way into Germany and helping to liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. He later became the nation's oldest veteran of the 1944 Normandy invasion, a pivotal moment in Allied history.
The story of the crucial weather forecast that enabled the Normandy invasion, and the meteorological expertise of James Stagg, was recently featured in the film Pressure.
Top street artist Neil Keating, alongside collaborator John Culshaw, is working against time, hoping for favourable weather to complete the poignant mural. The artwork portrays Donald both as a smiling centenarian and as a young private.
“"We are expecting Neil and John to have worked their magic by Friday – so the scaffolding will be coming down well before the fair starts. It means our magnificent mural honouring Donald will then be unveiled in all its glory – ready for fairgoers who visit Ilkeston from all over the world to marvel at it."
This initiative is part of a wider public art programme across Erewash, funded by the borough council's Erewash Investment Fund, which has allocated £100,000 to enhance the urban environment.
The mural, located on a modern extension behind the grade II listed town hall, was initially intended for completion by November's Remembrance commemorations. However, efforts have been accelerated to ensure it is ready for the 774th Ilkeston Charter Fair, commencing at 6pm on Wednesday, 21 October, and concluding on Sunday, 25 October.
The fair's official opening ceremony on Thursday, 22 October, commemorates King Henry III's 1252 permission for a fair in "Elkesdon". Festivities begin around 10:30am with street entertainers, including 'bubble stilt walkers', and music from the Ashby Little Big Band, culminating in the Mayor ringing bells at noon.
Wharncliffe Road, which faces the mural, will host various rides and stalls during the event. The artists are currently working from scaffolding, which is scheduled to be removed by the end of the week, well in advance of the fair's commencement.
